


Mark of the Shadow King

by Dionysus_is_my_bae



Category: Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, JD is a good boy who deserves love!, Kurt and Ram aren't total dicks, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-28 17:10:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20067589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionysus_is_my_bae/pseuds/Dionysus_is_my_bae
Summary: You would think growing up in a world full of half god/human children would be totally easy right? Wrong. See, it would be totally dope if you had powers (beams of light from your finger tips, fireballs, etc.) but if you're like me? Well, let's just say that puberty gets instantly less fun when everyone in you class starts levitating and shit and your only power is to bleed profusely every month. And worst of all, you have to deal with your twin brother being a little shit every 5 seconds. Really, there is never a dull moment in the Sawyer household.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my very first attempt at a fanfic. I've never really thought myself an author but I got this random idea in my brain noodle and had to do something about it. Since this is my first time ever writing something for other people, any and all feedback is appreciated. Without further ado, I present to you, Mark of the Shadow King.

[Thousands of years ago]

It was the middle of the night. Millions of feet beat down against the ground as a mass of bodiesl rushed forward. Surrounding the clearing were dozens of trees that echoed the screams of the soldiers on the front lines. Rain poured down on their bruised and bloody bodies. Two giant armies met in the middle of the field, their swords clanging and pushing forward with neither side backing down in the slightest.  
Far from the men stood a tall, lanky figure. He wore a completely black suit of armor, save for the blazing red sparrow on his chest. His fist tightened around the scythe at his side as he watched the carnage play out before him. His men were being massacred right before his eyes. His golden eyes scanned the area, falling upon a pale man with dark brown hair, who had appeared from seemingly nowhere. The man had a bow that appeared to made of interwoven tree branches strapped to his back. The archer soon noticed the taller man approaching him and straightened his back.

"What is the report from the front lines, Rhemysus?" The black-clad man asked.

Rhemysus sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. "We're starting to lose ground. Edon has been momentarily taken out by Fetsus, but Fetsus is relatively powerless at the moment. Wevnir is still fighting with Dhesis, and I've heard absolutely nothing from him. Lumir's illusions are getting weaker by the minute. We're losing human soldiers left and right and, at this rate, we'll need to intervene." Rhemysus looked toward the battlefield with a grim look on his face.

Breathing in the forest air, the taller man focused on the sounds of his men falling. He heard them cry out in agony as they were cut down. He felt the weight of their lose settle over his heart. With a newly found wave of confidence, the man opened his eyes once more. His rage-filled golden eyes glowed brilliantly in the pale moonlight.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Dandes?" Rhemysus piped up from his spot beside him. "You know there will be repercussions for this."  
Dandes chuckled as he stared forward, keeping track of the battle at hand. "There will be repercussions for this entire war, so why not make this a real blood bath, aye brother?" Dandes paused for a second as a serious expression came over his face, "Besides, we both know there is only one way to gain his attention."  
Rhemysus only sighed. "Very well then, know that I will be here if need be."

"Thank you, brother. Notify the generals to move their troops back and hold the enemy as long as they can." and with that, Dandes rushed forward. Wind tussled his long black hair. He barely felt the ground below him as he rushed the battlefield, scythe in hand. His men moved back as he moved forward.  
When Dandes reached the enemy forces, all hell broke loose. His scythe cleaved through bodies as furiously swung through the mass of bodies. Enemy lines hesitated, looking on in horror as Dandes stood atop the bodies of their fallen comrades.

"What? Too afraid to face your death?" Dandes taunted, a sadistic smirk on his face. His voice echoed through the clearing with power and force that it made his own men tremble in fear. Shadows seemed to bend and weave around him, shrowding him in a cloak of pure black energy.  
Troops marched forward apprehensively, swords at the ready even though their hearts weren't. As the battle raged on, it became more and more of a one-sided fight. Dandes destroyed each warrior foolish enough to take him on. He had just lobbed the head off of some poor soul when a pillar of water slammed into his chest, knocking him back several feet.

"That's enough, Dandes. You know these men are no match for you." A deep voice boomed. Standing up to face his new opponent, Dandes grinned. There before him stood a bulky man with long silvery hair and tanned skin. The man's blue eyes reflected the water that he controlled with his hand. He wore a deep navy blue suit of armor. Untouched at his side was a dark brown sword hilt sticking out of a sheath of the same color.

"Finally joining the party, I see. What changed your mind, Aysus?" Dandes grinned wolfishly at him. His body slinked forward, his arms limp and hanging as he walked.

"You know damn well why I stepped in." Aysus cast another tendril of water at him. Dandes quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding. Dandes suddenly rushed forward, his scythe slicing through the cold midnight air. Just as Dandes got close enough to Aysus, he swung the heavy black blade as hard as he could.  
Aysus ducked, landing a solid punch on Dandes chest plate. As soon as Dandes stumbled back, Aysus attempted to sweep the other man's legs from under him. The taller man jumped out of the way, crouching low to the ground a couple of feet away. Dandes face contorted into a snarl-like grimace. He stood, glaring at his silver-haired counterpart.

Dandes rushed forward again, this time opting for an aerial attack. He lept high, causing his shadow to cascade over the blood-soaked battlefield on which they stood. Aysus quickly conjured another pillar of water, pulling the moisture from the earth below them, resulting in a giant, bloody glob of water to be extracted from the ground. He shot the water up towards Dandes, in a vain attempt to stop him.

Focusing his energy on the pillar, Dandes heaved his black, bloodied scythe down upon it. The water held steadfast as the blade made contact with it. Dandes pushed on, and a wave of dark energy burst forward as the metal cut through the offending liquid. Due to his trajectory, Dandes fell directly in front of Aysus. The tip of his scythe struck the other man's face. It left a long, jagged gash from just above his right eye down to his jaw.  
Aysus let out a gut-wrenching scream, placing his hand upon his bloodied face. "You fiend! Do you know what you've done?!"

A vicious sneer made its way onto Dandes' face, "I know that now you'll never forget this day for as long as you live."

Enraged, Aysus rushed forward. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and tugged it free of the sheath. As soon as the blade was fully exposed, its celestial broze glowed a dull light. Water accumulated around the copper sword. Dandes' eyes widened in fear for a split second before it morphed cocky grin.

"Bringing out the big guns, eh Aysus? I haven't seen that old piece of junk in eons." He received no response other than the enraged battle cries the blue armored warrior bum-rushing him. Aysus slashed wildly. He was clearly skilled in swordplay, but lack of training took a toll on his abilities. With each swing waves of water flew towards the golden-eyed man. Bronze clashed with obsidian as the two men fought in the center of the battlefield. Their men fought gallantly around them, ensuring that no man would interrupt their brawl.

Suddenly Aysus grabbed the front of Dandes' chest plate and stared directly into his eyes. Blood poured from the wound on Aysus' right side as they stared at each other. Dandes' looked at the other man suspiciously for a moment before jeering, "What is it, old man? Too winded to keep going?"

Aysus merely smiled and responded, "No, I just needed to keep you still long enough for him to take the shot."

There was a split second of dread that passed through Dandes before the spear struck his back and went through his torso, hitting Aysus in the process. Blood gushed from his mouth as he toppled to his knees.

"What? Who-" Dandes was cut off suddenly, winded by the spear exiting his body. He toppled once again onto the ground, muddied with the blood and sweat of his soldiers. He looked up to see Aysus standing over him, sheathing his sword. He opened his mouth once again to speak up but stopped before any words left his mouth. A chill settled deep in his heart as the voice of a man erupted from behind him.

"That was much easier than expected. I honestly thought he was going to put up more of a fight." Dandes' eyes widened. He knew that voice. He knew it very well, in fact. He looked up to see a shirtless man approach Aysus. He was extremely fit and his long red hair and eyes gleamed in the light of dawn. He looked at Dandes and Dandes looked back. The other man wickedly smiled as he looked down at the man bleeding out on the ground.

"Oh hello there, dearest uncle. Still awake, are you?" The younger man walked over and crouched before him, "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon enough."

Dandes went to speak, but all that escaped his mouth was blood. He heaved and coughed until his head was pounding. His vision swam as he stared at his nephew. "Why, Wevnir? Why would you betray us?" He gasped out.

Wevnir stood silent for a moment before he burst out laughing a deranged kind of laughter. "Oh, uncle, don't you know this side was never going to win this war. I've been allowed the chance to be on the winner side of history. The world will look back on this day and remember my name as the great warrior that defeated Dandes, the god of shadows! And when you return in a couple hundred years, I'll be back to take you down once again."

Wevnirs speech struck fear into Dandes as he slowly realized that his nephew had strayed too far from the path, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Another cough wracked his body, and Dandes knew he didn't have much time left. He slowly lifted himself from the ground and glared into his nephew's eyes. Around him, shadows weaved and inched forward towards the red-haired man.

Confusion settled on the younger man's face "What is this? What are you doing to me?!" He panicked as the shadows climbed up his legs.

Dandes' golden eyes shined brighter as the shadows traveled higher up Wevnir's legs. They moved steadily upward until they settled on his left pectoral. "For your betrayal against me, I shall let you live with this mark." The shadows crawled on his skin, swirling around each other until the shape of a sparrow was clearly visible on his skin. The shadows glowed as they seared into his chest, causing Wevnir to scream out in pain. He looked into Dandes' eyes and saw nothing but rage. "From this day, every one of your descendants shall be hunted by my own. You will regret this day with every fiber of your being, this I promise you."

Dandes collapsed soon after, gazing at the moon longingly. When he closed his eyes, he saw the face of a woman. The faint trace of her green eyes brought a smile to his face. Just like that, smiling at the moon, Dandes breathed his last breath.

"I'll see you soon, dear." Was the last thought that crossed the raven-haired warrior before he passed.


	2. Cereal

The air was cold in the middle of a sleepy town. Veronica found herself walking an old stone path somewhere within the town's walls. She couldn't remember what she was doing or even how she managed to get there. All she knew that there was something familiar about this street, something that kept drawing her closer. She came across an area full of vendors.

Their stands were lined in what appeared to be a grid formation. They were colorful, standing out in stark contrast to the dark greys that made up the rest of the town. Other than the tents themselves, the only other thing with any color were the lights that cast a dim orange hue onto the stone paths.

In this widened area, Veronica finally had the chance to look around. Other than the general grey buildings, she was able to see a tall clocktower in the distance. She observed the way its hands steadily ticked onward. It proudly proclaimed that the time was currently 11:45. She briefly wondered what would happen when it reached 12:00. She made her way towards it, following an old, dingy road. The lights became few and far between, making it increasingly difficult to see. As she continued to walk, She encountered a fork. One side was well lit with an abundance of shops. They appeared to be closed, yet the idea of other people being kind of close was oddly appealing. The other side was the complete opposite. It exuded a dark aura that felt suffocating. Veronica couldn't see anything down this road except for the clocktower. 

Despite being absolutely terrified of the cobbled path, she found herself walking down that road. Something was pulling her along, and by the time she registered the fact she moved down that path, it was too late. She turned to go down the other but only found more of the same dreary alleyway. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she continued onward, there was no point in fighting anyway. She looked up to see the time was now 11:53. Something about the passage of time reassured her. As she got closer to the clocktower, the pressure in her chest worsened. Whatever was drawing her in was getting closer, that much she could tell. 

She approached the clocktower in the center of town, its strong stone walls stood resilient and unyielding to the elements. Veronica stared at the structure in awe until she spotted movement from the corner of her eye. She noticed the silhouette of a man leaning against one of the stone pillars. He wore a wine-colored suit and a black bowler hat. He was incredibly tall, he made Veronica's 5'8 look like a 4'11. Veronica couldn't make out more than a couple of his facial features, he had a very defined face, a strong jaw, and a thin, angular nose. He had a slightly stubbly beard that mixed perfectly with his wavy black hair that was pushed away from his face. What Veronica noticed most, however, was his sharp, golden eyes. They were intelligent and perceptive, yet she could feel the danger and cunning resonating from his gaze. He smirked and pushed off the wall, and Veronica was immediately hit with the urge to run. With each new step, power surged throughout the area in waves. He stopped mere inches from her face, and at this point, her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she believed that if he so much as poked her, she would die. His gold irises bore into her own dark brown, and there was a small voice in the back of her mind that said she'd seen these eyes before, but it was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming fear that engulfed Veronica's being.

He opened his mouth, and for a split second, she thought she might be devoured right then and there. It was an irrational thought she knew, but at the moment, none of the thoughts in her head were rational. But he didn't consume her soul, he merely spoke. It was a single sentence, but it shook Veronica to her very core. Her legs almost gave out as she watched the man walk away with his hands in his pockets. He didn't even seem to be walking so much as he was gliding through the darkness, but she couldn't process that information. All she could think about were his words bouncing around in her head. Even as he disappeared, all she could do was look at the spot where he had been. 

His deep, unsettlingly smooth voice echoed in her mind.

"I'll see you soon."

**RING**

The clock tower bellowed as its hands reached 12:00. The sound shook Veronica out of her stupor. It rang out, announcing its presence to the townspeople. It rang out louder and louder until it felt like Veronica's head was splitting in two. She cupped her hands over her ears, trying her best to stop the sound from entering her head. She looked to see when the clock would stop ringing only to find that the time was already 8:05. It should have already stopped, but the ringing was already in her head. She closed her eyes tightly and lied her head down on the pavement, hoping to some god that the ringing to stop. The assault on her ears finally toned down after a couple of minutes. She sighed in relief and opened her eyes, only to be met by a giant swatch of blue.

There was pressure around her body as if something was trying to smother her. She moved her arm and felt slight friction against her limb. She quickly bolted upright, flinging what was now identifiable as her blanket, across the bed. Her chest heaved up and down as the cold air from the AC finally registered. 

She looked around her room to see the exact same layout as every other day. Below the window currently streaming light into the room, was her bed. It was covered by a nice grey, silk bedsheet and a navy blue comforter that was now at the foot of the bed. Next to her bed was a dark oak nightstand with a black alarm clock resting on it, the dark wood stood out against the light grey-blue paint she had decided to put on the walls ages ago. She ran her hand through her short brown hair as the dream came to the forefront of her mind.

"What a creepy dream." She commented, flopping down onto the plush yet slightly deflated pillow below her. 'What does it mean, though?' She pondered. She stared at the ceiling or a few more minutes before deciding to get up. 

She stretched out the kinks in her back as she stood up, getting those few satisfying pops. She quickly threw on a shirt and jeans and walked out of her room. She really didn't have to impress anyone anyway, it was still summer break so she could walk around her house in her underwear if she really wanted to. Not that she would, she lives with other people after all. She made her way to the bathroom down the hall, noticing how empty the house looked as she did. The walkway was pretty dark, but she could still make out basic shapes. At the end of the hall, there were three doors on each individual wall. The door on the left was the bathroom, the one directly down the hall was her mother's (which was almost certainly empty), and the door on the right was Vincent's room. 

'That oaf is probably still asleep. Lousy brother can't even wake up before 2pm.' Veronica thought to herself as she entered the bathroom. She freshened up and completed her morning rituals in record time, but the memory of the dream was still fresh in her mind. 

She made her way to the living room in a haze. She was just outside the doorway when she had to stop in her tracks. It took her a full 5 seconds to realize that her twin brother was currently sitting on the sofa in nothing but his underwear eating a bowl of cereal and watching the news.

"Uhm, excuse me. What the actual fuck is happening right now?" Veronica asked, still hoping there was some chance this was still part of the dream.

"Oh, it's just some news about pandas in the zoo. Nothing to worry about." Vincent responded, still staring at the screen.

'Nope, not a dream. He's still an idiot.'

"Not that, stupid. Why are you in your underwear." Vincent looked over at that. He had just shoved a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and was taking his sweet time chewing. Veronica recoiled in disgust as a trail of milk dipped from his mouth down his chin. He swallowed and then responded with a simple, "It was hot."

Veronica's eyebrow twitched as she looked at her almost completely naked brother, "You were hot, and decided to strip down completely? Are you serious right now?"

"Well yeah, it's only you in the house anyway, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before. I really didn't think you'd care." Vincent answered matter-of-factly. Veronica just stared at her brother before sighing deeply and walking to the kitchen, too tired to deal with this shit right now. The kitchen was a small area connected to the dining and living rooms. The three rooms were only divided by island countertops, so everything was a big, open area. 

Veronica prepared herself a bowl of cereal and watched the TV from the kitchen. Nothing was particularly interesting, so she tuned out. She was about to pour the milk into her bowl when she realized there was nothing in the container. It was just an empty milk carton sitting in the middle. So there she was, a bowl of cereal in one hand and an empty milk carton in the other. She looked back and forth between the two of them as if deciding a course of action. Eventually, she gingerly placed the milk carton into the trashcan before hurling the entire bowl of wheaty goodness at Vincent's head a couple of feet away. He immediately recoiled and grabbed the back of his head.

"What the fuck, Veronica?! Why'd you do that for?" He screamed

"You left the empty milk carton in the fridge again." Veronica said calmly, though her face was anything but. She had a look of pure, unadulterated rage that would be enough to make any man cower in fear, Vincent, being her twin, was completely unaffected. Instead, he adopted his own "mean mug" of sorts and glared back at Veronica from the living room.

"And that gives you the right to hit me in the head with a porcelain bowl?!" He challenged. 

"Yes! You have sinned in this household, and for that, you must pay the price!" Veronica shot back. 

At this point, the argument had dissolved into a full-blown screaming match about the morality behind assault via food items. The twins stood glaring at each other when the news suddenly got louder, startling both of them and making them temporarily forget their feud.

On the screen, a young woman appeared holding what could only be the news stories for the day. She looked up at the camera and immediately began with, "Breaking news." The twins looked at each other for a brief second before they both sat down on the couch to hear the TV better.

"This year marks the 1,000th year since the fall of Dandes. Until now, details of his resurrection have been kept under wraps until today. The Order finally released the date and location of his resurrection and preparations are already underway for the celebration. The festival will be held on the 19th of June at the sum of Campbell Hill." The reporter rambled on about vendors and stalls, but Veronica couldn't find the will to care. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach, and maybe it was the hunger, but something didn't seem right. She looked at her brother and found he had the same pensive look as she did. 

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Vincent asked.

Veronica nodded grimly, "Only if you're thinking what I'm thinking."

"On three?" Vincent asked. Rolling her eyes at his very child-like way of asking, she reluctantly agreed

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"We should avoid the festival at all costs."/"We should go to that festival." They said at the same time. A beat of silence passed before another argument began.

"Are you not picking up on the creepy vibes coming from that shit? That festival is a total no-go."

"Dude, it's a festival for a fucking god! Do you realize how rare that is? Gods don't die as often as they used to, man. This might be the only chance we get actually see one in their mortal form." Vincent reasoned.

"Yeah but this is the god who started a war. Do you really think he's going to pop outta the ground and be like 'Hey guys, what's up? Oh, kabobs, my favorite!'? Cause I don't think so, bud."

"Whatever, Ronnie. I'm going to that festival with or without you." Vincent huffed.

"Pfft, good luck finding your way around without me, you literally just came home a week ago, and you have no earthly idea how to get around." Veronica taunted, as she walked towards the front door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Vincent asked from his spot on the couch.

"To get some fucking milk." Veronica responded, shoving her keys and phone into her pockets and walking out. The sunlight attacked her eyes as soon as she walked out. It took her a couple of minutes for her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. The tall girl took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Despite all the craziness of this, Veronica allowed a soft smile to grace her features. For the first time since she woke up, she felt truly at peace.

"Maybe today will be a good day after all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is up! Hope you enjoy it. Make sure to tell me what yo thought in the comments, as always all feedback is appreciated


	3. Supermarket mishaps

"Nevermind, today's officially the worst." Veronica lamented as she hid behind a stack of canned soup. She was currently peaking through a small gap between two Campbells soup cans while rethinking all of her life decisions.

Getting to the grocery store was easy enough, she made in a little under an hour. The trip was only supposed to last a couple of minutes. In and out, simple enough. But no, life had other plans. Veronica had already gotten the milk and had been about to grab a 6 pack of ramen noodles when she heard a voice that immediately strikes fear into her heart.

"Did we need to come to this hole in the wall Super Market? I'm pretty sure I just saw a rat judo chop a cockroach the size of my hand." asked a feminine voice, disgust evident in her voice.

"Shut up, Heather! This is the only place I can get Corn Nuts this size in this flavor."

Oh, shit.

She watched as three girls entered the grocery store, and she felt dread settle in the pit of her stomach. All three carried around a power that she didn't want to be affiliated with. 

'Gods, Vincent, I hate you so much right now.' Veronica thought to herself.

The almighty Heathers, daughters of the most powerful gods, strolled through this little mom and pop shop for some Corn Nuts. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. All three were far too well dressed for this place, which is to say, they stuck out like a sore thumb. Heather Candler was dressed in a red jacket over a simple black turtleneck. She had on a grey, red, and white flannel skirt that ended midway down her thigh. Her hair was down, and she had on a pair of sunglasses. It was kinda a douche move to wear sunglasses indoors, but no one was going to tell her that. Beside her was Duke, looking disgusted at the prospect of staying here longer than she had to. She wore a green tank top coupled with a pair of form-fitting black pants and a pair of classic Vans. She looked nauseous as she walked deeper into the store.

Veronica looked around for the other Heather, but she couldn't see anyone else. She thought it highly improbable that the other two would go anywhere without their yellow counterpart, which meant that Mac was probably already going through the isles. Panic settled in the pit of Veronica's stomach as she had no idea what to do. Veronica ran around, panicked and scared. That's when she saw her saving grace, tomato soup. She'd never really been a fan of the soup itself, but right now it was like the god of fortune, Dhesis himself, sent it to her.

She ducked behind it and felt slightly better, but she was still absolutely terrified. She didn't know why she felt this way, it's not like they knew who she was. Maybe it's just because she knew who _they_ were that cause such an immense fear to control her actions. She forced herself to breathe normally and slowly crept out from behind the tower of preserved tomato paste.

'Gods, if they catch me, I think I'll die.' she thought to herself as she confidently strode down a random aisle. Turning into a random lane, Veronica scanned for anything she needed. Instead, what she found was a small blonde-haired girl standing on her tip-toes in an attempt to reach some cookies on a shelf that was way taller than the girl herself. The frustration was evident on her face as she forced herself higher towards the sugary treat. The first thing Veronica noticed about the girl was the abundant amount of freckles that were littered around her cheeks and nose. The second was the fact she wore a yellow cardigan over a white tee and flowing black pants. Usually, Veronica wouldn't really care, blonde women wearing yellow wasn't that rare. No, what sent her mind into overdrive was the yellow scrunchie in the girl's hair. Scrunchies had been more of an 80s thing. The only people she knew still wore them were the Heathers.

'Shit, It's McNamara.' Veronica contemplated just leaving and pretending she didn't see anything. McNamara grunted as she tried to bounce up to her cookies that were tantalizingly out of reach. Veronica sighed heavily, having reached a verdict on what to do.

'I'm probably going to regret this.'

Veronica walked up to the shelf and reached out to grab the cookies. Once she had them in her hand, she looked at McNamara, whose attention was now entirely on Veronica. Blue and brown eyes met, and Veronica could practically see the surprise in them. Her face flushed slightly at the attention, but she refused to break eye contact. She handed the cookies to McNamara, who tentatively grabbed them.

"Careful.", Veronica said, her voice felt like it was trying to crawl back down her throat, making it feel a lot scratchier than she would have liked, "You could get hurt straining yourself like that." Veronica tried to keep her expression neutral, but she couldn't stop herself from bashfully looking away from McNamara.

Heather seemed to be confused for a solid 5 seconds before she broke into a wide smile that threatened to blind the taller girl. She opened her mouth to reply when a shrill voice erupted from the other side of the supermarket.

"Heather! Where the hell did you go?!"

Heather looked in the direction the voice came from and then back to Veronica apologetically. She stared at Veronica for a moment before suddenly grabbing the brunette's hand and squeezing it for a second. It was a brief touch, but it was enough to make Veronica's face heat up. Heather's hand was soft, which Veronica didn't expect from Westerburge's prized starball player.

"Thanks, stranger." She called over her shoulder, slowly jogging over to the direction where Chandler's voice originated. Veronica smiled softly and offered the other girl a small wave goodbye. "You're welcome." McNamara nodded at that and quickly disappeared behind the shelf. Veronica sighed lightly, and she continued to shop around. She didn't know why, but she wasn't nervous anymore. Looking closely at the cookies she had just gotten down for McNamara, she hummed slightly. 

"Huh, snickerdoodle." 

\---

"Honey, I'm home!" Veronica announced as she burst through the front door. Most of the lights were turned off except the one in the kitchen. Veronica walked down the dark hallway to the kitchen, bags in hand.

"Vincent? You in there?" As she approached the kitchen, it became apparent her twin was not in the house. On the marble counter was a slip of paper that hadn't been there when she left. Placing the groceries in front of the fridge, Veronica read the note.

_ Hey Ronnie, I went out with some friends for a little bit. I felt guilty after what happened this morning, so I made you something for dinner. It's nothing fancy, but hopefully, it makes up for the impromptu trip to the grocery store._

_ -You're favorite twin, Vincent_

  


Veronica looked at the note with a soft smile. "That idiot. He didn't need to make me anything." She quickly put away the groceries, opening the fridge door to put away the milk. In the middle of the fridge was Tupperware. She couldn't tell what was inside, but she was curious nonetheless. She grabbed the Tupperware and put it on the counter. Now that it was out of the fridge, she could easily recognize the smell of chicken fettuccine. 

Veronica smiled excitedly, "Hell, yeah! If I knew hitting him in the head with food would get him to cook, I would have tried that years ago."

She was already kind of hungry from the walk, so Veronica quickly tossed the pasta into the microwave and waited for her meal to finish cooking. Turning on the T.V at this hour was too much commitment, so she settled for her phone. Turning on the phone, she saw her old screensaver, which had been on her computers since the dawn of time. It was a picture of Vincent and herself covered in dirt and throwing up peace signs at the camera. 

She smiled to herself as she remembered the day so vividly in her mind.

  


[Flashback to 10 years ago]

  


In a small park in the heart of the city, two children ran around happily. The sun was beating down on them, but they could hardly care. The twins were too caught up in their game of tag to care about much of anything. Vincent ran after Veronica as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, which wasn't very far since Veronica was a couple of inches taller. Boisterous laughter bubbled up from deep in his chest when he finally caught up to her. He slapped his hand onto the back of her shirt.

"Tag! You're it!" He exclaimed, running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He kicked up dirt as he ran furiously to the swing set. He was so caught up in getting to the swings that he momentarily forgot about his sister running up right behind him. He was only a couple of feet from the swings when he felt a hand touch his back. Startled, Vincent tripped over his own feet, falling face-first into the dirt.

Veronica immediately burst out laughing, "You're so clumsy, Vince." She reached down a hand to help her fallen brother. Pouting at the jab, Vincent grabbed her hand and pulled down. With a small yelp, Veronica toppled to the ground. Veronica turned to glare at her brother, but immediately stopped once she saw his face.

"Ronnie? Are you okay?" Vince's eyebrows scrunched up slightly in concern.

"You...your face." She started but was too shaken up to say coherent sentences. Veronica's eyes were misty as she looked at him, but this only served to confuse the boy more. He tilted his head to the side slightly "What about my face?"

"Blood." was the only thing that she managed to say before she burst into tears. Her body shook violently with each new wave of tears. It wasn't until he touched his cheek that he realized he had a cut on his left side running from right below his eye to somewhere near his cheekbone.

A string of apologies flew from Veronica's mouth. That didn't matter to him right now, though. At the moment, he was more concerned about her than he was about the blood running down his face.

"It's okay Ronnie. It wasn't your fault. I tripped over my shoelaces, so this one is on me."

"No, It's not okay! You got hurt because of me! I didn't need to push you so hard." Veronica cried. At this point, the parents who were all sitting at a near-by bench heard the commotion, and upon seeing blood streaming down Vincent's face and Veronica crying on the ground, they rushed to aid the fallen children. Vincent was patched up immediately and spent the rest of the day consoling Veronica. Only after a promise to get ice-cream later did Veronica feel any better.

"Kids," Their mother spoke up, standing a couple of inches in front of them holding a camera, "Stand in front of the sandbox and say cheese. Jeanette will want to see this." she says jokingly.

The children stand side by side with their arms over each other's shoulders. Dirt covered them from head to toe, but they didn't mind very much. Grinning, they held up peace signs to the camera. The shutter closed and opened, and Veronica's mom laughs and tosses them a thumbs up. The children laugh too and go back to playing in the hot summer sun.

sun.

  


[Present day]

  


"That ice cream was delicious. Wow, maybe Vince getting hurt is just the universe letting me know food is on the way" Veronica mused to herself.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a notification reaching her phone. She unlocked her phone to find that Martha had texted her. Opening the messenger app she found their chat and clicked into it.

  


  


Buttercup 6:45: 

Hey Ronnie, what are you doing tonight?

  


  


Bluebird 6:48: 

Nothing really.

Just gonna chill with my old friends Netflix and some chicken fettuccine Vincent made.

  


  


Buttercup 6:49:

Vincent cooked something? That's new.

  


  


Bluebird 6:52:

Yeah, all it took was me hitting him in the head with a bowl of cereal.

  


  


Buttercup 6:54: 

(-_-)

You need to start treating him better.

  


  


Bluebird 6:55: 

Eh he's survived me all his life, he can handle some wheat to the dome.

Why did you wanna know anyway?

  


  


Buttercup 6:59: 

I wanted to know if you were free to come over tonight. 

Kinda like an impromptu movie night.

  


  


Bluebird 7:02: 

Sure. Just as long as you come to pick me up.

  


  


Buttercup 7:04: 

Obviously, you live like 5 miles away from me.

  


  


Bluebird 7:09: 

I've walked farther.

  


  


Buttercup 7:10: 

Sure you have.

  


  


Veronica rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her phone, quickly grabbed her dinner and satting in front of the TV for a couple of minutes. She wasn't too invested in what was on screen, but she knew it would only take a couple of minutes for Martha to get there. She shot Vincent a text telling him where she was going, only to receive "K" as a response. She took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. Any moment now Martha would pick her up and she could escape the nightmare that was her brother. Luckily, Martha's parents have no problem with Veronica staying over. Truth be told, they'd probably let her move in if she just asked nicely.

  


**Beep Beep**

That was probably Martha. Veronica ran to her bedroom and grabbed her overnight bag and ran to the front door. She had started keeping overnight bags in middle school. She had a pretty rough time, considering everyone at that point was powered up on puberty juice and were mini douchebags. Plus, they had actual fucking superpowers and were very liberal with them.

Veronica swung the door open and walked out. She was greeted by her childhood best friend leaning against her grey Nissan Sentra. 

"Hey, Ronnie." the shorter girl greeted, "You ready?"

  


Veronica grinned "Hell yeah."

  


  



	4. Explain it at a coffee shop

The night went as expected. The two girls had gotten in pretty late and immediately went to Martha's room. Once there, they bundled themselves in blankets while 'The Princess Bride' played in the background. Neither of them was paying attention to the movie, opting instead to chat in the warmth of their nest. Their conversations were always lighthearted and fun, mostly because Martha is a ray of sunshine, and Veronica herself was almost her complete opposite. They had a very odd dynamic, a sort of opposites attract kind of deal. Veronica, being the more cynical one would often question how realistic a plan or an idea was, while Martha was more creative and likely to charge headfirst into a project.   
Veronica debated whether or not she should keep the "Heathers incident" a secret from Martha, but she needed a second opinion. At the moment Martha's head was resting on Veronica's shoulder. It was a bit awkward because Veronica was a lot taller than her fluffy friend. Martha sat and watched the movie in front of them as if it were the first time. Veronica smiled gently at her best friend.  
"Hey, Martha?", the girl in question looks away from the TV and directly at her.   
"Yeah, Ronnie?"  
Veronica took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Martha about what happened earlier that day. As she explained everything, Martha was silent, only nodding once or twice to prove she was still listening. After a couple of minutes, Martha looked at Veronica in the eyes and said, "Veronica, I'm not going to lie to you. I don't think that was a good idea."  
"What? Why?"  
"Well, do you honestly believe that helping these people is a good idea? They haven't been the nicest to you." Martha placed a hand on her shoulder. At any other time this would be soothing, but at the moment Veronica's chest felt tight.   
Foggy memories from her past came creeping back to the forefront of her mind. The inky shadows of children closed in on her and suffocating her. Their word flew around her head like barbed wire. "Useless freak," they called her. They jabbed and jeered at her expense. Phantom pain spread over her arms and torso. Among the children, the silhouettes of three girls were clearly visible in the background, watching on with sick satisfaction.  
Veronica jumped when the faintest touch of a hand on her back. She turned quickly to see Martha's worried face a couple of inches from her. "Ronnie, are you okay?" Realizing she had gotten caught up in her thoughts, she sighed deeply. Placing a hand on the smaller girl's head, Veronica smiled softly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine, Martha, just a little tired."  
"Do you want to go to bed?" the smaller of the two asked.  
"Yeah, that sounds good."  
They settled into more comfortable positions on Martha's bed, and soon enough, a lull settled over the room. Neither of them was really asleep, but they were getting there. There was still a slightly uncomfortable aura in the room. Surprisingly, Martha was the one to break that silence.  
"Hey, Ron, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Drowsy, Veronica turned to look at Martha's form on the opposite side of the bed. "It's fine, Betty. I was overreacting. All that stuff happened in middle school I should be over it."  
"It shouldn't have happened in the first place, Veronica. There's no getting over what they did to you." Martha's voice wavered. The taller girl could tell that she was holding back tears to keep a brave face, and she appreciated the effort. She wrapped her arms around Martha, pulling the small brunette into the chest, and letting her cry all she wanted. "It's okay, Martha. It's over now, so there's nothing to worry about." Martha's body shook as she sobbed into her best friend's chest. Her repeated apologies continued until she finally calmed down, she still hiccupped every now and then, but was otherwise okay. Veronica stroked Martha's hair until the shorter girl fell asleep in her arms. It hurt a little to know that she was still causing the small girl so much pain even after all this time. Martha had always been a sensitive girl, she felt deeply for other people, so much so that at times it felt like she could feel other people's emotions for them. She knew she didn't deserve Martha, but she was grateful nonetheless.   
"I'll just keep this between Martha and I. Betty would probably flip her lid if she knew about the Heather thing."  
\----  
"YOU DID WHAT?!", Betty screamed.  
'Well, shit.' Veronica thought to herself. She was currently sitting across from Betty and Vincent in their favorite café, The Coffeebara. They had decided to meet up for lunch and light chit chat, but the conversation quickly derailed. Around them, patrons turned to see the commotion before going back to whatever they were doing. Martha sat to the side, looking guilty. While Veronica had decided that she wasn't going to bring up the Heather incident, she forgot to tell Martha. As a result, Martha let it slip that she had helped Heather in the grocery store yesterday.  
Betty flew into a rage quicker than anyone at the table had ever seen. Vince sat confused at the edge of the booth across from Martha.  
"Uhm, not to stir up any negative emotions up in here, but who the hell are the Heathers?"  
"Only the most powerful group of bitches to ever walk the earth." Betty fumed in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her arms and glaring holes into Veronica's head. Vincent still looked lost, so Veronica sighed and explained the situation.   
"The Heathers are the daughters of three of the most powerful gods and goddesses. There's Heather McNamara, the one I helped, who's the daughter of the sun god, Fetsus. There's Heather Duke daughter of Valtix, mistress of the night and eternal beauty. And then there's Heather Chandler, the all mighty, daughter of Dion god of Flames. They started running the school shortly after you left in middle school."  
"Yeah, and you fucking helped one of those heartless she-devils yesterday! Of your own volition! They didn't even need to manipulate you. You just did it!"  
"Listen, Bets," Veronica started before being immediately cut off by Betty.  
"No, you listen, Ron! We have both been on the receiving end of their reign of terror since fucking middle school, and now you decided to let bygones be bygones? Fuck that! They almost got you killed!" Betty crossed her arms and huffed as she finished her rant. Her face was tinged red with anger, but it was completely understandable. Vincent's face contorted from one of confusion to one of absolute rage.  
"THEY FUCKING DID WHAT?!" Once again, the rest of the café looked over at their table. Even the red-haired barista behind the counter looked mildly concerned. Veronica sent her an apologetic smile and mouthed 'sorry' while Vincent tore into her with words.  
"It was just Mac, though. She like, the least evil of the three." Veronica tried to reason.  
"It doesn't change the fact that she just let it happen. She's just as guilty as the other two, if not more for being a fucking doormat and letting them walk all over her." Betty countered.  
"Maybe we should all calm down," Martha spoke up, noticing the number of people watching their current conversation.   
"I won't calm down, Martha! You know how shitty this is, why are you so calm about this?"  
Vince nodded, "I agree. This entire situation is fucked up."  
"They were only cookies, Betty! I have no fucking clue why you're so pissed about this!" Veronica snapped. The volume of her voice startled the bespeckled girl sitting across from her. The surprise didn't last long, though. Almost immediately, Betty's scowl returned.   
"It's the principal, Veronica. People like that don't deserve any help. They don't need help. They have the world on a silver platter, and you're serving dishes like the fucking waiter. Why would you even help? What have they ever done for you?"  
Veronica sighed, "I don't know, Betty. That's the truth. Maybe somewhere deep down I wanted to be the bigger person, but when it happened, I wasn't thinking about anything. I just felt like I had to."  
Silence fell over the table. Betty stared into her cup of tea for what seemed like forever before she slumped down in her chair. Her light brown eyes bore into Veronica's skull, looking for an answer. She sighed deeply, straightening her back and looking at her taller friend. "I don't like this," she started, "but there's nothing we can do about it now." Veronica smiled, knowing this was as close to an agreement as she's going to get. Her smile immediately died when she saw the teasing smirk on the nerdy girl's face. "Just don't blame me when Heather falls for her knight in shining blue jeans."  
There was a beat of silence before the table erupted in laughter. Veronica jokingly pushed Betty's shoulder before leaning back in her seat and drinking some of her coffee. She had to admit, the thought itself was kind of ridiculous. Heather definitely had higher standards than her, right?  
'Yeah, there's no way in hell that's happening.'  
The laughter died down, and Martha looked in Vincent's direction, "Hey, Vincent, is your head okay? I heard you got hit in the head with cereal yesterday."  
Vincent's face flushed red slightly out of embarrassment, "Yeah-yeah I...uhm...I'm doing okay. You should've seen the other guy." he joked, lightly scratching the back of his neck. Betty and Veronica looked at each other with conspiratory looks for a second before grinning fiendishly. Betty jabbed her elbow into Vincent's side, gaining his attention.   
"You should have said you're still hurt so Martha could kiss your boo-boo better." She teased. Vincent's face got noticeably redder, his tanned skin now the same shade as a tomato. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Martha stands up for the beet red boy.  
"Betty, you know my abilities don't work that way." Being the daughter of the goddess of medicine had its perks. Martha was the only half-blood in the group of misfits, but most people either didn't know or didn't care. All anyone cared about was how she looked, and that fact alone pissed off everyone at the table.   
Despite knowing how Martha's abilities work, Veronica answered with a shit-eating grin. "Doesn't mean you can't try it and find out. I'm sure Vince won't mind." The boy in question shot Veronica a look that seemed to scream 'How dare you betray me.' He attempted to recover, but the only sounds that escaped his mouth were stutters and half sentences.  
"Leave him alone, you guys. You all know how shy he is about this stuff." Martha huffed, trying her best to defend the boy. To her credit, he was shy about this subject. Against her credit, he was only shy when it came to Martha. Vincent was usually a loud, bombastic wild card who didn't really care about a lot of things, yet when he was in the presence of the sweet and tiny girl across the table, he became a shy, stuttering mess of blushed and soft gazes. Of course, for as much as Martha loved watching romantic movies, she had no idea how to actually recognize romantic feelings. Unless Vince was on his knees with a bouquet of flowers and a giant sign that says 'I love you.' she wouldn't even know he liked her.   
They've been like this for years. Martha would fantasize about Ram Sweeny while Vince played her knight in shining armor. He would protect her from bullies and even sometimes get in trouble for her. He could never work up the nerve to say anything, however. He was just content with being useful to her. Veronica sighed and put her hands up in mock surrender.   
"Okay, you win. We'll leave him alone." She smiled, watching as he visibly relaxed back into his chair. Veronica shook her head slightly at her brother's obvious predicament.  
'I hope he'll gather up the courage to ask her out someday. She deserves someone like him.' The blue-clad girl thought to herself. The table settled down into a comfortable silence, only breaking for small talk and random topics. Eventually, as the sun set, the friends made their way out of the Coffeebara. At the door, they said their goodbyes and split in two separate directions. The twins made their way to their car in silence and stayed like that until Veronica broke it halfway from their house.  
"You know you really should ask her out." She said wistfully looking out the passenger window.  
"Yeah, I know." He responded, and they continued their trek back home.


	5. Revamp

Hey guys! I know it's been a while but I just came to give you all the update that this fic is going to be remade.

Unfortunately a couple of months ago my computer decided to permanently die on me, so all the storyboarding and character sheets I had originally planned for this fic has been lost. 

But! I do have a rough idea of where the story was headed and a couple new ideas on how to fix some things with the story *cough* the language used looks like it was written by a grandma *cough*

I hope you guys can bare with me while I try to get this fic back on track. It probably won't be the same as it once was but keep a look out for a new fic (prolly under the same name as before)

That's all, thank you for your time.

-R


End file.
